Ian ColbanLettings Director
Q. Are you a local?
A. My Dad was originally from Brighton. My Mum came from Lancing and I was born in Reigate Surrey, moved to Midhurst at eight years old. I bought my first flat in 1987 in Bognor (just as mortgage rates shot up to 15.4%!) and I’ve been in and around the Bognor/Chichester ever since.
Q. What was your first job?
A.Dad had a bakery business for 40 years so my first job was frying doughnuts! Later I started with Nationwide Building Society on the trainee manger programme, then managed a branch in Southampton.
I began in property as an Independent Financial Advisor then moved into lettings as a property manager in 2005 for Leaders. I managed Bognor & Chichester offices and opened the Littlehampton office. I started working with Matt in 2020 and took on the role of Lettings Director in 2021.
Q. Why here at Matthew Anthony?
A. It’s great to work for a company where you can influence the way we do business and really focus on developing the long lasting relationships with landlords, tenants and colleagues. Larger organisations can be faceless and process rather than outcome driven.
Q. What's special about the rental sector in this area?
A. We work with some really good landlords who take their responsibilities to their properties and their tenants seriously. The Rental sector and Landlords often get a bad press, although in fact the majority are fair, reasonable and caring individuals looking to provide good quality homes at a true market rent.
Q. How do you juggle your different responsibilities to landlords and tenants?
A. Our landlords are our clients but we have a duty of care to make sure tenants are being treated properly, that maintenance issues are dealt with promptly and efficiently.
We want both landlords and tenants to feel they are getting the best professional service and are being kept safe, compliant and their needs are being listened to. Today’s tenants are also tomorrow’s potential homebuyers and landlords, so we want everyone to remember the level of service they receive from us.
Q. Do you think the Renters' Right Act is generally a good or bad thing?
A. It is undoubtedly bringing challenges. Removing Section 21 appears in our area to be a sledgehammer to crack a nut as we see no evidence of landlords deliberately using it as a mechanism to churn tenants just to get a higher rent.
Most of our landlords prefer to keep good tenants in place, as the cost to them of changing the tenants outweighs the advantages of any rental increase.
We are entering a different era where compromise and negotiation will be the way forward to achieve satisfactory outcomes for both tenants and landlords. That’s where a good lettings agent will come into their own.
The transparency of the landlord database, and the increased regulation surrounding the standards of rental properties and the framework for putting remedies in place can only be a good thing, to get rid of those landlords that don’t want to play by the rules and who give everyone else a bad name.
Q. What's your single biggest advice/tip for landlords?
A. Don’t cut corners, look after your property and your tenants and they will generally respect you and your property in return.
Q. What's your single biggest advice/tip for tenants?
A. Treat the property as you would your own home, look after it and most landlords will look after you.
Q. What do you love about the area of Sussex that you cover?
A. We are so lucky to have so much so close, from the beaches, to the South Downs, culture with Chichester Festival Theatre up the road and heritage and history with the likes of Arundel. Brighton, Portsmouth and London are only a short train ride away.
Q. Favourite local view?
A. Living over in Bognor I love the view across Aldwick Bay to Selsey Bill at sunset, and the view across to Amberley and Houghton from the top of Bury Hill.
Q. Favourite local building, attraction or personal hangout?
A. I love all the Art Deco buildings in and around Worthing. My most frequent hangout at the moment appears to be a Padel Court wherever I can blag my way into a game.
Q. What does your personal 'me time' look like?
A. In the summer I am secretary and occasional wicketkeeper batsman for Madehurst Cricket Club, nestled in the Downs just outside Arundel. Otherwise you will probably find me in the kitchen or by the barbeque cooking something long and slow to enjoy with a glass or two of red wine, with my headphones on and some obscure Jazz.
That’s when I am not running round after my 12 grandchildren… oh and spending time with my lovely long suffering wife!
Q. Dog, cat or other?
A. Definitely dog, we have Terry in the office!
Q. Guilty secret property programme?
A. Is it wrong to enjoy Alan Carr and Amanda Holden bodging properties in the Mediterranean?
